S2W3 - Intracellular Compartments and Protein Sorting Flashcards
(68 cards)
the volumes taken up by organelles will…
differ for different cell types
percentage volume taken up by cytosol
- half the cell volume
- part site of protein synthesis and degradation
- where many metabolic pathways and cytoskeleton occur
rough ER
- over 50% of total cell membrane
- membrane-bound ribosomes
- synthesis of soluble proteins and transmembrane proteins for the endomembrane
smooth ER
- doesn’t have membrane bound ribosomes
- phospholipid synthesis, detoxification
percentage of total cell membrane of rough ER membrane in liver hepatocyte vs pancreatic exocrine cell
60% in pancreas, 35% in liver
- pancreas has to synthesise enzymes.
why are mitochondria so abundant in liver hepatocytes?
provide energy to support the many metabolic functions on the liver
definition of an organelle
discrete structure or subcompartment of a eukaryotic cell that is specialised to carry out a particular function (most are membrane-enclosed)
how were organelles discovered?
via visualisation in a light or electron microscope
examples of membrane-enclosed organelles
- nucleus
- endoplasmic reticulum
- Golgi apparatus
examples of organelles that are not membrane-bound
- nucleolus
- centrosome
also known as bimolecular condensates
what is protein sorting?
- proteins are nuclear encoded
- mRNA arrives in cytoplasm and translation starts on ribosomes in cytosol
- cytosolic protein doesn’t have a sorting signal, so its default location is the cytosol
- some proteins have a sorting signal called a signal sequence
what does a signal sequence consist of?
a stretch of amino acid sequence in a protein which directs the protein to the correct compartment
each signal sequence specifies
a specific destination in the cell; specific signal sequences direct proteins to nucleus, mitochondria, ER, peroxisomes, etc
signal sequences are recognised by
sorting receptors that take proteins to their destination
post-translational protein sorting
- proteins are nuclear-encoded
- fully synthesised in cytosol before sorting
- folded: nucleus, peroxisomes
- unfolded: mitochondria, plastids
co-translational sorting
- proteins are nuclear-encoded
- they have an ER signal sequence and are associated with ER during protein synthesis in the cytosol
proteins that are intended for the nucleus have a
nuclear localisation signal (NLS) for import into the nucleus.
function of the nuclear import receptors
nuclear import receptor (sorting receptor) binds the NLS and move it into the nucleus. nuclear pores act as gates to the nucleus - proteins with the nuclear import receptor are recognised.
function of transcription activators
required in the nucleus for eukaryotic transcription - imported through the nuclear pore and binds to DNA to bind to the activated target gene
function of peroxisomes
contain enzymes for oxidative reactions
- detoxify toxins, break down fatty acid molecules
enzymes imported into the peroxisome through
a transmembrane complex - there is a peroxisomal import receptor (sorting receptor) which binds to the peroxisome import sequence (signal sequence)
how and why do proteins have to move into mitochondria/chloroplasts
- have own genomes and ribosomes
- but most proteins for these organelles are nuclear-encoded
- translated in cytosol and targeted by a signal sequence for import
- proteins are unfolded for import by association with hsp70 chaperone proteins
transmembrane complexes in mitochondria
needs proteins to be unfolded to pass through. signal sequence bound to sorting receptor, which brings it to transmembrane complexes - hsp70 proteins come off as the protein moves through. then the mitochondrial hsp70 binds to it in the mitochondrial matrix (these help the protein fold and remove the signal)
why do proteins sort to the ER?
entry point to endomembrane system (ER, Golgi, endossâmes, lysosomes, or up to plasma membrane)